Everyone loves claiming they were up on something before everyone else discovered how great said thing is. A looong time ago on this very blog, well before So Far Gone dropped, I told ya'll that Aubrey Drake Graham, a Canadian biracial kid who starred on a Nick Jr. show would be the biggest thing in cRap music. I also said a Lil' Kim clone named Nicki Minaj would defy all gender-constrained odds and also become the biggest thing in cRap music. It goes without saying that I was largely on point with both predictions. So I'm making another: 12 months from now, Jermaine Cole will be the biggest name out. Bookmark this post.
If you're clueless, J. Cole was Jay-Z's first signee to his Roc Nation label, and he's been working the underground circuit for about a year now with mixtapes and features in preparation for his debut album which'll drop sometime this year, assuming Will Smith's kid didn't steal all his marketing budget. The guy pretty much has all the tools to succeed in the game. He can spit. He's original. He's college educated, but has "street" appeal. He can do the "sing songy" thing for the ladies without sounding like a total simp. He's got a decent knack for making catchy singles that aren't dumbed all the way down. He's got the biggest name in rap pushing him. The fact that the guy's from my home state doesn't hurt either. Yes, I'm a fan, and whether you know it or not, you'll soon be one too.
I've already heard enough of the Kanye/Drake comparisons. I don't particularly agree with either, but I guess I understand why some folks see it. Good music's good music either way.
Enough of the talk, let's get to the tracks. When this guy blows up, just pretend you already heard of him.
"Who Dat?"
"Higher"
"Blow Up"
"Villematic"
"Lights Please"
Question: Assuming you've already heard of J. Cole, can you think of any reasons why he won't "blow up"?!?
Download J. Cole - "The Warm Up" [JColeMusic]
